Finding new ways to boost blood vessel regrowth after a heart attack

Defining a pivotal role for endothelium-derived C-type natriuretic peptide in angiogenesis and vascular remodelling

After a heart attack, the growth of new blood vessels into the damaged area of the heart is essential to deliver the vital oxygen and nutrients required to repair and restore its function. Despite the important role of blood vessel cells in this process, little is known about how they drive this tissue regeneration. Professor Adrian Hobbs and colleagues have already discovered that C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) plays an important role in maintaining the health of blood vessels. In addition, CNP can protect the heart following injury but it is not understood how. Professor Hobbs is now trying to improve our understanding of this at a molecular level. In this project, he now aims to identify whether CNP can trigger the development of new blood vessels and help the heart recover after a heart attack. Professor Hobbs will study whether CNP is needed for the growth, movement and arrangement of endothelial cells into new vessels and what other proteins might be involved in this process. They plan to look at mice that do not have CNP (because the gene has been deleted), and see how this affects the growth of new blood vessels. If CNP is found to be important for growing new blood vessels, it could potentially be used to boost recovery after a heart attack. This work will help us to further understand heart recovery after a heart attack, and provide potential targets for future treatments.